Abstract

Gandhi’s 1907 critique of modern industrial culture anticipated its disruptive and alienating impact on traditional communities, livelihoods and cultural integrity. Ignoring his warning, India chose the route of modernization through industrialization in an effort to eradicate mass poverty and attain parity with the rich nations. Design was introduced in the same context. While industrialization and globalization have indeed benefitted certain sections of society, its serious impact on the environment and its lack of impact on the historically backward sections of society compel us to revisit Gandhi’s ideas as a possible inspiration to design a more sustainable and egalitarian future. This paper proposes a design approach that sidesteps modernism (and its nostalgic perspective of the past) and the development of a bottom-up theory drawn on certain non-modern practices that could open up an alternative future.